Forty per cent of children have seen online pictures of their friends drunk

ALMOST 40 per cent of children have seen images online of their friends drunk, research suggests.

Almost a fifth of 10 to 17-year-olds said all or most of their friends drink alcohol.

One in ten children aged 10 to 17 who use social networking sites have seen images of their friends drunk, including 13% of those aged 10 to 12.

The poll of more than 700 children also found that 7% of 10 to 11-year-olds have been encouraged to drink by someone their age or younger.

This rises to 37% among those aged 15 to 17.

Almost a fifth (19%) of 10 to 17-year-olds said all or most of their friends drink alcohol.

The poll was commissioned by the charity Drinkaware, which is funded by donations from the alcohol industry.

Director of marketing and communications Anne Foster said: "Children as young as 10 are seeing drunkenness normalised through images - whether this is online, in the media or through their own experiences.

"Undoubtedly, friends are influential in shaping the way young people think about alcohol, but just as influential are parents, who can provide support and advice to help children cope with these pressures.

"Our research shows that most children will go to their parents first for information and advice about alcohol.

"While that is reassuring for parents to know, it also shows how important it is that parents feel confident and well prepared to have those conversations."